Effect of dietary oil supplementation on fatty acid profile of backfat and intramuscular fat in finishing pigs

Two groups of finishing gilts were fed, for 4 weeks, a commercial feed enriched
(2%) with either rapeseed oil or sunflower oil. Pig growth was monitored bi-weekly and the fatty acid
composition of backfat andLongissimusmuscle was determined after slaughtering. Type of dietary
oil affected significantly the fatty acid profile of pork fat, especially the C18:3n-3 concentration which
was higher in pigs fed rapeseed oil than in those fed sunflower oil. The content of monounsaturated
fatty acids (MUFA) ofLongissimusmuscle was significantly higher than that of backfat, due to the
its higher concentration of C18:1cis9 and C16:1. Differently, the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFA) content was higher in backfat than inLongissimusmuscle. These results confirm that it is possible to manipulate the fatty acid composition of the diet, in order to improve the health properties
of the adipose tissues of pork meat.